Good morning everyone. Last night, the White House officially joined TikTok—and almost immediately the platform began cracking down on content critical of the President and his administration. This is not a coincidence. It’s a troubling sign of where things are headed, and it’s likely to get far worse now that the White House is planting itself on the app.
That’s exactly why I’m doubling down on independent media. I’m investing more into Substack and expanding my team so I can get out on the road—to Texas, California, and beyond—to bring you on-the-ground reporting that can’t be filtered, throttled, or silenced.
If you believe in fearless, independent journalism that refuses to bend to political pressure, subscribe today. Let’s keep building something bigger together—and prove that real reporting doesn’t need permission from the White House or Big Tech.
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With that, here’s what you missed overnight:
Democratic state Representative Nicole Collier spent a second night in the Texas Capitol rather than accept a mandatory police escort in a redistricting battle, as President Donald Trump seeks to maintain Republican control of Congress.
Texas Democrats, protesting Republican redistricting efforts backed by Donald Trump, tore up mandatory “permission slips” imposed by House Speaker Dustin Burrows that required police escorts, with many—including Rep. Nicole Collier—choosing to stay overnight in the Capitol rather than comply with what they denounced as demeaning surveillance protocols ahead of a critical vote on new congressional maps.
Texas Republicans, backed by Donald Trump, are pushing a rare mid-decade redistricting plan to flip five Democratic-held U.S. House seats in 2026, sparking a national redistricting battle as states like California, Ohio, Florida, and Maryland consider countermeasures in a widening partisan fight over gerrymandering.
In Ravenden, Arkansas, two extremists founded “Return to the Land,” a whites-only homestead community of about 40 residents on 160 acres, where applicants must prove their white ancestry; despite denials from legal experts citing the Fair Housing Act, the founders argue they qualify as a private association, raising nearly $90,000 and exploiting what they see as a favorable climate under the Trump administration.
Elon Musk is reportedly pausing plans for his new “America Party” to focus on his companies and preserve ties with Vice President JD Vance, though he dismissed the Wall Street Journal report, while associates say he may instead channel support toward a potential Vance 2028 presidential run.
The Department of Homeland Security announced a new migrant detention facility in southwest Nebraska, nicknamed the “Cornhusker Clink,” which will add 280 detention beds through a partnership between ICE and the state’s Department of Correctional Services.
National Guard troops from West Virginia, South Carolina, Mississippi, and Louisiana arrived in Washington, DC, to support Trump’s crackdown on crime and homelessness, tasked with protecting landmarks and handling crowd control alongside local Guard members.
Postal operators Posten Bring and PostNord have suspended parcel shipments to the U.S. after the Trump administration announced it will scrap the “de minimis” customs exemption on packages under $800 starting August 29, meaning low-value imports will now face full duties and paperwork requirements.
Attorney General Pam Bondi said federal law enforcement in DC has made 550 arrests and seized 76 illegal firearms since the surge of officers nearly two weeks ago, with updated figures from August 19 still pending from the White House.
Federal prosecutors under US attorney Jeanine Pirro have opened a criminal investigation into allegations that Washington DC police manipulated crime statistics to make the city appear safer, with Trump accusing officials of providing “fake crime numbers” to create a “false illusion of safety.”
Boston mayor Michelle Wu rebuffed Trump administration threats to strip funds and prosecute sanctuary cities, declaring “Boston will not back down” as she condemned Attorney General Pam Bondi’s demand that local leaders dismantle policies protecting immigrants in support of Trump’s aggressive deportation agenda.
Uganda’s foreign affairs minister Okello Oryem denied reports of a U.S. deal to accept deported migrants, saying no agreement exists and Uganda lacks the infrastructure to accommodate illegal immigrants, despite U.S. media claims of such arrangements.
The White House launched its official TikTok account with a debut video as Donald Trump, who credits the platform with boosting his 2024 election win, continues allowing the Chinese-owned app to operate in the U.S. despite a federal law requiring its sale or ban.
A southern California community is demanding the release of 18-year-old high school senior Benjamin Marcelo Guerrero-Cruz, who was detained by masked ICE agents while walking his dog in Van Nuys, prompting rallies and outrage from educators, advocates, and his family, who described the arrest as a kidnapping.
Walmart recalled Great Value brand frozen shrimp sold in 13 states after the FDA detected traces of radioactive Cesium-137 in shipments from Indonesia, warning consumers to discard the affected lots despite the contamination being well below intervention levels.
Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard stripped security clearances from 37 current and former officials, including some tied to the 2016 Russia interference assessment, accusing them of politicizing and leaking intelligence.
Donald Trump attacked Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell for “hurting” the housing industry by keeping rates high, again urging a major rate cut ahead of Powell’s Jackson Hole speech and the Fed’s September policy meeting.
Scientists report that Arctic sea ice melting has dramatically slowed since 2005 due to natural climate variability in ocean currents, but warn this is only a temporary reprieve and melting is expected to accelerate at about double the long-term rate within the next five to ten years, reaffirming the urgency of climate action.
Target CEO Brian Cornell will step down after 10 years, with COO Michael Fiddelke set to succeed him on Feb. 1, 2026, as the retailer faces declining sales and earnings; Cornell will remain as executive chair while Fiddelke pledges to accelerate growth and turnaround efforts.
Israel approved a major plan to seize control of Gaza City, calling up 60,000 reservists and extending 20,000 more, while also greenlighting a West Bank settlement project that could split the territory in two; the moves come amid mass protests at home, rising international outrage, worsening starvation in Gaza, and a stalled Trump-brokered ceasefire proposal from Arab mediators.
Good news:
A 4-year-old in Farmington Hills, Michigan, who accidentally called 911 to talk about swimming and soccer, was visited by police who later returned with birthday gifts for his brother, turning the mistaken call into a heartwarming community moment.
On Borneo, local forest communities supported by the Nature Conservancy and the Indonesian government are protecting 1.3 million acres of orangutan habitat by practicing sustainable logging and land management, ensuring biodiversity, ecotourism, and livelihoods while keeping forests safe from poaching and illegal exploitation.
See you this evening.
— Aaron
